Looking Back
by Texan Red Rose
Summary: Blake tried asking Weiss to prom and got shot down. But perhaps there's more to the heiress' refusal than she originally thought. [Monochrome, Modern Setting]


**Disclaimer** : Hit a bit of a slump, so I was advised to write something stupid. This is one of the results. Don't own anything. Period.

* * *

Blake Belladonna was... quiet. That, at least, she could readily agree was an apt descriptor, amid the myriad she'd been given over the years, and one she actually tried for more often than not. As one of the few Faunus students in her high school class- and the school at large- the other descriptor she felt was appropriate happened to be 'outcast', though she hardly put any effort into that one. She just never fell in with any of the popular cliques, nor did she wanted to, really. She enjoyed reading- whether it was an assignment or not- and her time was mostly spent alone, though she did have a few close friends who shared her tastes in music and pop culture. She was a teenager, after all, and not above succumbing to the typical things a high schooler did while whittling away the time until graduation.

On that list was having an entirely inappropriate crush and, of all the things she wished she could change about herself, that was the one that took first place. It wasn't that her crush was a female, like herself, or even that she was a Human; homosexual and inter-species relationships weren't violently opposed like they were fifty years ago. Sure, their counterparts were more common, but society as a whole didn't balk at the relationships anymore. So, she had to go one step further and develop a crush on the class valedictorian, Weiss Schnee- daughter of a rich but horrifically racist man who controlled a fair portion of the dust mining in the world.

However, Beacon was a public school, so she'd always harbored a secret fantasy that Weiss wasn't anything like her father, declining a stuffy private school so she could embrace all types of people- Humans _and_ Faunus- as her fellow classmates. They'd shared a few classes together over the years and, while she did have a tendency to voice any objections she might have to _anything_ , Blake always found her stubborn refusal to bend rather charming. She was assertive and blunt, almost to the point of insult though it was hardly intentional, but exceptionally smart and, when she thought no one was looking, kind.

Part of the reason the Faunus remained quiet over the years was because it allowed her to blend into the background, become one with the shadows lurking in the corners, allowing her to observe others when they thought no one was around. She'd watched the young woman- straight backed, legs crossed, the perfect picture of a lady- kick a classmate's chair to wake them up before the teacher noticed and mutter under her breath the correct answer when someone who didn't know it was called on in class. Weiss volunteered to help for every school event and attended the majority of them. Their classmates always assumed such actions were born out of a disdain for imperfection but she believed it was just the young woman's way of trying to help her classmates by keeping them out of trouble and taking on the responsibilities others didn't want.

Even when everyone swore she was made of ice, Blake saw enough of a spark to believe she was truly a warm person underneath her frigid exterior.

So when it came time for Prom- against the advice of all her friends- the Faunus gathered up her courage and approached the young woman long after classes had let out, catching up to her as she exited one of her extracurricular club meetings. Part of her was more nervous than she'd ever been in her life, nearly making her devolve into a sputtering mess the moment she had her crush's attention. Through sheer determination, she managed to steel her nerves, though.

"Weiss? C-could I..." She fought to not wince at her brief falter, though her cat ears twitched all the same. They'd only talked a handful of times before this and her nerves were taking hold more than she thought they possibly could. "I mean, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the Prom as my date?"

Amber eyes watched as Weiss' facade fell away for a brief moment, obviously shocked by her question. But it was quickly slid back in place, her pale lips tightening for a moment before she replied.

"No." That single word hit the Faunus with the weight of a sledge hammer, ears falling though she managed to keep a mostly straight face. Not that it mattered, seeing as the young woman turned on her heel the moment her answer was delivered, speaking over her shoulder. "Truthfully, one of us deserves better than the other."

Then, she walked away, the clicking of her heels becoming fainter with every step. Blake was left alone in the hallway, the pain in her chest making it difficult to breathe as tears stung at her eyes.

Obviously, she was wrong about Weiss... and Weiss was wrong about her, she resolved, forcing her heartache to morph into fury at the young woman's pompous attitude.

Even if it took until their ten year reunion, she'd devote every day between now and then to proving just how wrong she was to dismiss her like that. Turn her down? Fine, but Blake Belladonna was not going to be insulted like that and merely take it.

* * *

The short sprint to graduation was mostly uneventful. Blake only ended up attending the Prom at Yang's behest, and even then entirely ignored whichever side of the room Weiss happened to be occupying. She ignored her presence in their classes, in the hallways, all the way up until they had their yearbooks in hand, every classroom devolving into a madhouse as classmates exchanged them to write silly little notes to each other.

The Faunus' own copy sat on her desk while she read a book, pausing as she finished a chapter to glance around the room. All too suddenly, her gaze landed on Weiss, who was looking back at her with that same, smooth, unreadable expression- the ice everyone swore she was made out of evident in those bright blue eyes. Ignoring the way her heart clenched painfully to even be looking at her again, Blake resolved to keep her expression unfazed, not even her ears betraying the turmoil within.

Eventually, the young woman looked away, the pen in her left hand scribbling something into her own yearbook. Although she would've sworn she wasn't paying attention if asked, the Faunus had noticed that Weiss exchanged her yearbook with no one, keeping the thing on her desk and flipping through the pages seemingly at random.

Whatever. She didn't care.

And if she told herself that enough, she might actually believe it.

* * *

On their graduation day, Blake couldn't help but frown as the cap sat awkwardly atop her head. Two hours into the ceremony and they were nearly at the end, and she could finally rip the thing off and fling it into the air in celebration. She already had her acceptance letter for her top choice university, which had one of the best criminal justice programs in the nation. Although plenty of professions caught her eye, private security was the most alluring at present with law enforcement coming in at a close second, so that's where she set her sights.

Weiss' speech was, as expected, delivered flawlessly, her voice almost lyrical as she spoke to her classmates. There were a few mutters and whispers about the whole thing being an act- surely their resident ice queen didn't grow a _heart_ recently- and the part of Blake that believed differently tried valiantly to motivate her to hush the quiet hecklers. She didn't, of course, but it wouldn't have mattered one way or the other.

Weiss didn't care and neither did she.

When the ceremony finally ended, Blake tore off her cap and flung it up, keeping an eye on the square even as it sailed through the air with hundreds of others. As a precaution, she'd affixed a small, purple sticker to the inside so she could identify it later- her mother swore such mementos would be important later in her life- but her keen eyes made that rather redundant. Pushing through the crowd of celebrating teens on the verge of adulthood, the Faunus stopped a few feet away from where her cap had landed, hands balling into fists.

Of course, of all the people to stoop down and pick it up, it had to be Weiss Schnee.

The moment those ice blue eyes raised to meet her gaze, Blake turned around and pushed her way back through the crowd towards the backstage exit, where their _real_ diplomas were being held captive to ensure the ceremony went off without a hitch.

Mementos were stupid, anyway.

* * *

Years passed. At once, they felt long and drawn out, like taffy being pulled on a machine, and all too quick, gone in the blink of an eye. University was a trial- balancing a job and her schoolwork took a toll some nights, leaving her exhausted and barely motivated to eat, much less finish her papers on time. But every single time she hit a bump in the road or felt herself sliding into a rut, she'd remember those words.

 _One of us deserves better than the other._

It drove her forward, the idea that she might one day show Weiss that she _was_ worth it. Through every late night study session, through the madness that was end of term, through every little thing- she was going to show the woman that she _was_ good enough.

But there were nights, too, where she stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, wondering if she had it all wrong. She was good at reading people- that was something that proved beyond the shadow of a doubt during her university years- and she'd always believed Weiss was a good person at heart. And the _way_ she worded her rejection... was she trying to tell Blake something? If she felt the need to insult the Faunus, why do so in such a vague way?

Or was that just her refusing to be wrong, trying to justify her stupid, unrequited crush that seemed to persist even years later?

Either way, it didn't matter. The moment she graduated university, Blake went out and started gathering real world experience while taking night classes to supplement her degree. On paper, a Criminal Justice degree was just too basic and standard to catch anyone's eye; she needed a work history and a secondary proficiency to make her standout among the usual rabble. It was time consuming, to the point she had little else in her life. She kept in contact with some of her friends- Sun and Yang, mostly, her two closest companions throughout high school- but fell behind on nearly everything else. When it came to world events, she ignored anything related to dust mining; she wanted to be genuinely surprised when she met Weiss again.

She wasn't the quiet, hopeful cat Faunus who graduated Beacon, oh no. Through sheer determination, she was now a valued analyst working for a respectable private security firm. Cerberus was Faunus owned and proud to have a mostly Faunus work force, using their unique talents granted by their animal attributes to increase their work proficiency. As a security analyst, being quiet and melting into the shadows helped Blake test security systems both electronic and flesh and blood, allowing her the thrill of breaking into a building while being legally obligated to do so. It definitely wasn't a run-of-the-mill job for a college graduate and she found she enjoyed it far more than she thought she would going in, despite her interest in criminal justice.

She was both cop _and_ robber and that odd duality was gratifying in a very strange way.

Two years until their ten year reunion, Blake was eager for the event to take place, a constant goal she kept in the back of her mind even as she walked out of yet another successful meeting with some high profile technology company right on the busiest street in downtown. Looking down at her scroll, she sent off a quick message to her associate letting him know her meeting was over so he could come pick her up, hopefully with lunch in tow. Seeing as the meeting was the conclusion of her business week, all that was left consisted of finalizing some paperwork back at the home office and checking out her next project, which could definitely wait until after she got something to eat.

So engrossed in sending her message, Blake didn't notice how close she'd strayed to the door of a nearby shop until it opened, the person exiting bumping her shoulder.

"Whoa!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

The spoke at the same time, the Faunus instinctively raising one hand to help steady whoever just ran into her while the other pocketed her scroll. Suddenly, the mental countdown she'd meticulously kept was completely irrelevant as the very woman she'd looked forward to seeing again was standing before her, arms full with bags of bread.

"Weiss?" Her ears perked as she was unable to hide her surprise. While Blake was wearing one of her best pant suits- pin stripped black with a purple undershirt that brought out the shine in her eyes- the woman before her was... a lot different from what she remembered. The snow white hair was just the same as were her intense blue eyes... but the scar across her left was new, and the obvious uniform she was wearing looked more like that of a waitress than heiress to one of the most successful dust mining corporations in the world. Still, her beauty shined through as easily as ever, captivating the Faunus just as it did when they were teenagers.

"Blake!" For a moment, there was no facade, no ice to cover the genuine happiness that brightened the woman's eyes as her lips curled into a small smile. But it passed too quickly, her expression changing into one of polite surprise so swiftly that the Faunus almost believed she imagined anything else in its place. "I'm very sorry about that. I should watch where I'm going."

"I-it's alright." Blake, for lack of something better to do, ran a hand through her hair, pushing her raven locks behind her Human ear. Just like all those years ago, her heart was doing all sorts of strange things in her chest, clenching and fluttering and being an all around nuisance. After all this time, she still held onto that stupid crush, didn't she? "I... haven't seen you in years. How is everything?"

Weiss ducked her head slightly, giving a vague shrug. "Alright, I suppose. And you?" She made a gesture towards the Faunus' ensemble while shifting the bags of bread she held. "You look... like you're doing well."

"That's one way to put it." She'd thought about this moment for so long, announcing her accomplishments with pride, maybe gloating a little. But... she couldn't muster even an ounce of the anger that she'd been clinging to for so long, her ears twitching atop her head. Her voice was soft, stating fact without being boastful, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I'm a security analyst for Cerberus. I just wrapped up a meeting."

"Do you like the job?" The mask slipped slightly, a genuine thread of interest infecting the woman's tone.

"More than I thought I would, honestly." She tilted her head, curiosity getting the better of her. "What do you do?"

"Whatever pays the bills," she replied, sighing slightly before drawing herself up to her full height, which was still inches shorter than Blake. "Speaking of which, I'm afraid I must be going." The woman brushed past her, speaking over her shoulder just like she did years ago. "I'm glad you're doing well, Blake. Please, take care of yourself."

As Weiss walked away, the Faunus stood, frozen in place by confusion before she snapped to her senses and made to follow. However, her ringing scroll snatched her attention away from the woman's retreating form. She pulled the infernal device from her pocket and checked to see who had the horrible timing- it was her partner, of course, blast him- but when she looked up, there was no hint as to where Weiss had gone, her eyes searching for any sign of that snow white hair. With a sigh, she gave up her search and answered the scroll.

"Yo, where are you? Traffic's shit here." The ox Faunus grumbled into the line.

Taking one last look around, Blake sighed. "I'll meet you at Metro and Fifth, LT."

Pocketing her scroll once more, she turned and started towards the corner, her mood soured slightly. That hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped, all things considered. She didn't really gloat or have a chance to revel in proving Weiss wrong but what really stuck with her was the woman's appearance. Beyond the recognition of the passing years, how she'd matured, she looked... tired. Weary and worn out. The sincere happiness at the onset of their impromptu reunion and her parting words... that wasn't the same person who rejected her all those years ago in the hallway of their alma mater.

As she spotted the company vehicle and climbed inside, a single question took hold of her attention, consuming every thought: if that wasn't the woman she'd spent years hoping to prove wrong... then who was she?

* * *

The next morning, Blake awoke after a poor night's sleep, scrubbing at her eyes with a frown. She'd stayed up far too late, sipping the wine she kept for emergencies and trying to make sense of her run in with Weiss.

Weiss Schnee, little miss perfect, the ice queen... the waitress? No matter how many times she tried looking at things, nothing seemed to fit. The most likely excuse was a case of mistaken identity, were it not for the woman recognizing her as well.

Drinking a full glass of water with some aspirin, the Faunus tried to shake her slight hangover while pushing the thoughts from her mind. She had plans for today- errands to run, dropping by Yang's for a bit to check up on the blonde, that sort of stuff- but her motivation to do them was noticeably lacking. Still, she went through the motions of getting dressed- far more comfortable than her business attire from the day before, a simple pair of jeans and a white tank top- and grabbed a quick breakfast, mechanically locking up her apartment behind her as she went down to her car.

If she just went about her day off as normal, maybe the confusion she felt would go away on its own.

* * *

It, in fact, did _not_ go away at all, which translated to Blake going through the trouble of finding a parking spot downtown in the middle of the week so she could go back to the starting point and follow the bread crumbs from there. There was always the route of pulling out her scroll and running a search program, of course, but that would only give her so much information. It would tell her _what_ happened, and maybe why... but it wouldn't tell her what she _really_ wanted to know. For that, she would need to speak to Weiss directly.

That's how she found herself standing outside of the shop where she'd bumped into Weiss, not at all surprised to find it was a bakery. Pushing her way inside, the Faunus scanned the small room until she found an employee.

"Excuse me, Sir?" She stepped up to him, sparing a glance at the delicious looking goods just under the counter's glass before meeting his bright pink eyes. "Did you happen to work yesterday?"

"Of course. This is my bakery." He raised a brow, as if confused by her question. Despite the bluntness of his response, she couldn't detect any annoyance or irritation in his tone, so she pressed on carefully.

"There was a woman here, with white hair and blue eyes." She didn't mention the scar; Weiss was distinctive enough without bringing up the mark, as evidenced by the man's quick nod.

"You mean Miss Weiss. She's one of our regulars." His lips pulled into a frown. "Did something happen to her?"

"No, not at all." Blake gave him a small, reassuring smile, trying her hardest not to come across as threatening or imposing. That wouldn't get her anywhere. "She was carrying bags filled with bread. I was wondering if you know where she was going." The man narrowed his eyes at her, suspicion reflecting plainly in his expression. "We went to high school together and I was... hoping to talk to her again."

He seemed to accept her story- which was true, that might've helped- and nodded again. "Well, she was probably taking them to the homeless shelter down on Second. She comes in a few times a week to buy anything we have left over."

Blake nodded, her ears falling slightly. Buying bread to donate to the homeless didn't sound like the actions of a stuck up ice queen or a high and mighty heiress. "Thank you. I'll go check there."

* * *

It was a short walk to the shelter, so Blake left her car where it was, making her way to the location with guilt gnawing at her stomach. Was that part of her that always saw the good in Weiss right all along? All that anger she'd fed off for the past few years, was _that_ wrong? She couldn't imagine the cold woman who turned her down and insulted her also donating to the homeless; they just didn't seem to match up.

When she arrived, she was greeted by a tall redhead with an open smile, working behind the food counter on the far wall while people milled around the tables.

"Good afternoon! Is there anything I can help you with?"

The Faunus walked up to the counter, leaning on it slightly. "I was wondering if you know a woman- shorter than me, white hair, blue eyes?"

"Of course," the redhead replied with a chuckle, nodding. "Her name's Weiss, right? I do know her; she volunteers here when she can. Are you looking for her?"

"Yes." Blake nodded. "Do you know where I can find her?"

She repeated that question many, many times over the course of the afternoon, running around downtown with each new lead, until she finally found herself standing in front of an apartment door in a rundown part of town at just shy of four o'clock. After spending hours to get to this point, the Faunus suddenly found herself unable to raise her fist and knock, a jumble of words passing through her mind.

What was she going to say? With every new direction given, Blake had found out just a little bit more about the woman her high school crush had matured into, and each piece of the puzzle was like a dagger in her gut.

Weiss worked two jobs and donated to the homeless. She did volunteer work where she could but barely had time to sleep. She had nothing to do with the family name she still bore. Sometime in the intervening years, Weiss was disowned by her father, and though her elder sister now controlled the company, she refused any sort of financial assistance, stubbornly working herself to the bone to just make ends meet.

She was kind and thoughtful and warm- at least, that's how every person Blake talked to described the woman, a stark contrast to the ice queen from their teen years. But... it wasn't surprising in the slightest. The Faunus was good at reading people and she'd always _known_ that Weiss was a good person beneath her facade.

So the question still burned... why did she reject Blake so vehemently? Those words were the driving force behind her overcoming every obstacle in her path for years; if the woman always hid her heart of gold, how could she be so cruel? Why?

The answer lay on the other side of the door... and she couldn't muster the courage to face it. What if the reaction stemmed purely from it being _Blake_ who asked? But, then, why did she seem genuinely happy to see her yesterday?

 _Why_ was this so confusing?

"Blake?"

Her ears stood at full attention, her head whipping to the side as she finally took notice of the woman she was so conflicted about seeing again coming up the rickety stairs. Her shoulders were slumped, obviously exhausted, the stains on her apron a testament to the long day behind her, but there was still a spark in her eyes as their gazes met.

"Weiss." Suddenly, she was a teenager again, mustering her courage to talk to her crush like a normal person instead of a stuttering mess. "May I come in?"

"I'm afraid I don't have much time," the woman replied, climbing the remaining stairs while pulling her keys from the purse slung over her shoulder. "But if you'll excuse the mess, of course."

She stepped back to give Weiss room to unlock and open the door, entering the small apartment shortly after. It wasn't much- she was half certain her dorm room in university was bigger- but everything was neat and orderly.

"Would you like something to drink?" The woman put her purse on a small table by the door, hanging her apron next to a similar one. "All I have is water-"

"That would be great," she replied, exchanging a smile with the woman before stepping into the too small living room. There wasn't much- a beaten up loveseat, a coffee table that had seen better days, and a bookcase that leaned heavily to one side- but what caught her eye first was a familiar book sitting on the table.

Sitting down on the loveseat, Blake reached out and picked up Weiss' copy of their high school yearbook. It was well cared for but the creases on the binding made it obvious it was opened quite often, so she started flipping through the pages out of idle curiosity. On memory, she opened to where the senior section was, surprised when she managed to land on the very first page and even more so at what she found. Written in the spaces around some of the portraits, in the light blue ink she used so very often, there were short little messages written out to many of their former classmates.

 _Coco- You have an excellent fashion sense and a keen mind for business. Your dreams are within reach. Never forget that; I know you'll be famous one day._

It took a moment of looking at the picture for Blake to remember Coco Adel, the boisterous fashionista who aspired for the runways of Milan and Paris and New York, scribbling designs in her notebook whenever the opportunity arose. Yang mentioned her not too long ago, how she was attending her first show and debuting her designs, the double 'C' emblem she'd first penned in their junior year quickly becoming an internationally recognized symbol.

Is this was Weiss did, instead of exchanging her yearbook with others? Wrote her own messages to their classmates? Why?

Flipping a few pages over landed her on the 'R' page.

 _Ruby- Despite your propensity for the dangerous, your constant cheer will carry you very far. I hope you are accepted to VTU; you will truly shine there._

Ruby- Yang's younger sister- skipped two grades and graduated much younger than the rest of them. Originally, it made getting into Vale's Technical University a challenge, but once she made it, her knack for building opened so many doors for her. Now, she was the head engineer for a company that did everything from weapons to buildings, partly thanks to her endless energy when it came to such tasks. The blonde never missed a chance to brag about her genius sister.

Speaking of Yang, though, she flipped over to the 'X' page.

 _Yang- You're loud and obnoxious and a little rude, but you have a good heart. Try to take better care of yourself in the future and don't dwell in the past._

That made sense; Yang was on her way to a full ride scholarship for basketball when she wrecked her motocross bike and wound up missing her senior season. While it chaffed at the blonde to miss out on the chance to play at the University level, she eventually recovered and opened up a sports bar on the edges of the city, away from the stiff, business types of downtown. It was more Yang's style, anyway, and they agreed that her love for the game never quite matched her love for being the life of the party, which she often was down at the bar.

After a moment's hesitation, she flipped to the 'B' page.

Unlike all the others, just above her own portrait was a little heart inked in blue, jagged lines drawn through it, like it was breaking or barely held together, the message surrounding her picture short and bittersweet.

 _Blake- You deserve far better than I will ever be. I wish I could be that for you. I'm so sorry._

The Faunus sat back against the loveseat, the open yearbook in her lap. Her ears fell, her shoulders sagged, and shame settled over her like a shroud. All this time she'd taken the woman's words as an insult when they were never meant to be. Sitting there, staring at the page, Blake noticed the faint discolorations on some of the pictures, swiping her fingers over the wrinkled paper. Tiny little circles, almost unnoticeable to the naked eye, but it took her only a moment to recognize them as dried tear stains.

Oh, Weiss...

Blake tore her gaze away, searching the small room for anything else to focus on than the proof of emotional pain sitting in her lap. Unfortunately, her attention settled on a black graduation cap sitting on the bookshelf, next to a few paperbacks that showed far more wear and tear than the yearbook. Setting it aside, she got up and walked over, tracing her finger down the spine of one as recognition dawned. Every title on this shelf was a book she'd read in high school, the ones not assigned by any teacher that she used to fill the downtime during her classes. On a hunch, she picked up the cap- free of even the barest hint of dust- and turned it over, the purple sticker she'd affixed years ago in the same place she remembered.

All this time, Weiss had carried a torch for her, hadn't she? The years that passed- the same ones she used her anger to drive her forward- the young woman nursed a broken heart that hadn't seemed to heal while losing her family and fighting just to get through each and every day, living paycheck to paycheck.

Suddenly, the years she spent hoping to show the woman up seemed petty, ridiculous, and more than a little disgusting. Some part of her had known, had tried to talk some sense into her, but she'd ignored it.

"I've... been meaning to return that to you." She turned, watching as the woman cautiously entered the room bearing two cups of water with ice in them, her gaze fixated on the floor between them. "I apologize for the delay in doing so."

"You've kept it in excellent condition," Blake said, her eyes briefly glancing to the other graduation cap sitting on the bookcase, a light layer of dust covering it and the plaque displaying her diploma. "Thank you."

"You... you're welcome." Clearing her throat, Weiss offered her one of the glasses, motioning towards the loveseat. "Like I said, I don't have much time; I tend to catch a nap between my morning and evening shifts."

"When do you usually sleep?" Setting her cap back on the bookcase, the Faunus strode over and reclaimed her former seat, thankful she'd had the foresight to close the yearbook before getting up.

"Between four and ten," she replied, sitting down beside Blake while leaving more than enough room between them. Her gaze still remained elsewhere, as if she was afraid of looking at the Faunus. "The last bus leaves at ten-forty-five, so I don't have a lot of spare time."

Blake raised a brow, noting the tension creeping into the woman's shoulders. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No, it's just... you must be very angry with me, Blake, and you have every right to be." Weiss took a steadying drought of her water, the frown that temporarily claimed her features hinting that she'd prefer something stronger. When she finally spoke, it was with that same ice queen tone from years ago, her shoulders straightening as the weariness she bore was shoved aside, hidden away from view. "So, I would appreciate it if you said whatever it is you came here to say and be done with it."

The Faunus frowned, mulling over her words carefully before speaking. "What made you think one of us deserved better than the other?"

If their time was short, this was the one question she wanted answered more than anything.

Weiss remained still for a long moment, eventually setting her glass down and reaching over to grab the yearbook, opening it to a specific page with startling efficiency. When she passed it to Blake, the Faunus raised her brow in askance.

"Because one of us had the courage to be exactly who she wanted to be... and the other didn't."

Furrowing her brows, she looked back down at the indicated page, scanning the myriad of candid pictures taken by the yearbook staff before eventually settling on one in particular. If it wasn't for the tiny, blue heart beside the picture, she'd probably never notice that she was actually in one of the photos; she certainly hadn't before. It was one of the pep rallies for one of the sports teams, everyone around her shouting and cheering, perpetually frozen in exuberance... and there she was, in the bottom left hand corner, reading her book with her ears pinned back in annoyance. Pep rallies were always too loud for her but attendance was mandatory. Paying attention, of course, was not. Sun and Yang had teased her relentlessly for it- in fact, the monkey Faunus was in the picture too, trying valiantly to cajole her into joining whatever was going on- but she'd never participated.

"You were and always will be Blake Belladonna- determined, brave, quiet. Paying attention in class and reading with whatever stolen moment you can find." The woman sighed, brushing her fingers just under the scar marring her eye. "I was whoever my father wanted me to be and too scared to be anyone else. Now... I don't even know who I am."

"You're Weiss Schnee," Blake replied instantly, absolutely certain even as the words left her mouth. "You're assertive and smart. You protect yourself by hiding behind a cold persona but, underneath it, you're warm and ceaselessly kind."

Weiss gave a self-depreciating chuckle, shaking her head. "Of all the people in the world, I'd expect you to be the last in line to believe that."

"I'm the one who knew it back then." Taking a gamble, the Faunus set aside her glass and the yearbook, turning her body so she could better face the woman. Slowly, giving her plenty of room to object, Blake reached out and cupped the former heiress' cheek, leaning in to press their lips together. It was a simple, chaste kiss, but something she'd yearned for all the same. "I've been wanting to do that for almost ten years."

Weiss shivered, apparently at war with herself, torn between leaning towards the Faunus and moving away. "Blake, you-" She bit her lip, turning her head to the side and hiding her scar. "You deserve-"

"Would it be possible to let _me_ decide what I deserve for a change?" She gently guided the woman's gaze back to meeting hers, scooting closer on the loveseat. "I know you hate being wrong but, in this particular case, I think I have the stronger argument."

"You- you don't-" Finally, the young woman seemed to make her decision, standing up and turning away from the Faunus. "You have a good job, Blake, and so much potential. I'm just... fighting to survive."

"I don't see what any of those things have to do with the others." She stood up, fighting not to let her agitation shine through. The guilt and shame for misunderstanding the woman's words all these years was weighing on her heavily enough without listening to Weiss continue to berate herself. "And I definitely don't see what they have to do with how either of us feel." Stepping around the coffee table, the Faunus put herself directly in the woman's line of sight. "You were right about me- I _was_ angry with you before, but only because I wanted you to see me the same way I see you: as someone worthy of being given a chance."

"I don't believe I deserve that." The woman shook her head, tears forming in her eyes.

"But _I_ do." She held out her right hand, palm up, expression losing its severity. "Weiss... Listen to me for just a minute and be honest. If prom was next week, would you _like_ to go as my date?"

Tentatively, a slim hand slipped into hers, blue eyes meeting her gaze. "I would love to, Blake."

Her lips curled into a smile, raising the former heiress' hand to her lips and brushing her lips across the knuckles. "Then what else matters?"

She pulled on Weiss' hand lightly, the woman stepping forward and into a loose embrace, resting her head against the Faunus' shoulder.

"I should've said yes the first time." Weiss muttered, slipping both arms around Blake's waist.

"It's too late to change that." Blake discreetly checked her watch, frowning when she noted it was past four. While she didn't want to leave, the woman needed her sleep, so she came up with a quick compromise. "But, we can start making up for it." Keeping one arm around the woman's shoulders, the Faunus reached over to the bookcase and plucked one of her old books from the shelf, one she particularly remembered for its relatively boring prologue. "May I read to you? Just for a little while."

A smile tugged at Weiss' lips as she nodded, happy tears shining in her eyes as Blake led them both back to the loveseat, being sure the woman was comfortable leaning against her side even as she flipped open to the first page. She kept an arm wrapped around Weiss' shoulders as she read, the words at once familiar and entirely new, like a forgotten dream. Hardly twenty minutes passed before she could hear the deep, even breathing from the woman settled against her, setting the book aside as she took a look around the apartment's tiny living room.

Her ears laid back in annoyance. Weiss deserved so much better than this, she thought, glancing down to notice the small smile on pale lips. She'd used her anger to propel her forward for years but now she had a new drive: she was going to make damned sure Weiss saw herself for the person she truly was. Get her out of this apartment, out of two jobs and double shifts, and truly moving forward with her life. And Blake was going to be there every step of the way.

She bent her head, pressing a soft kiss to snowy white locks. Oh no, she wasn't going _anywhere_ this time around, because they _both_ deserved to be happy. If being together brought that happiness, then she would do everything in her power to make that happen.

Blake glanced at her watch, mentally making an argument that Weiss could sleep a little longer since she wouldn't be catching the bus; the Faunus had a car, so an extra half hour of sleep for the tired woman would be the case for tonight and every night after, if she had anything to say about it.

* * *

Author's Note: There, short and stupid. Inspired by Toby Keith's song "How Do You Like Me Now?" which is actually kind of awful; dude's a bit of a jerk, according to the lyrics.


End file.
